


One Conversation

by SymphonicWinds



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, au where edelgard and dimitri are on good terms as step siblings, everyone gets along and decides to kill the ultimate evil au, let my kids be happy, the golden route that everyone fucking deserves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-01-22 15:48:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21304586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SymphonicWinds/pseuds/SymphonicWinds
Summary: One conversation can be enough to win a war. Edelgard hopes that placing her trust in Dimitri and Claude will help her win her war.
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic & Felix Hugo Fraldarius, Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert & Dedue Molinaro, Dorothea Arnault & Sylvain Jose Gautier, Edelgard von Hresvelg & My Unit | Byleth, Ferdinand von Aegir & Hubert von Vestra
Comments: 5
Kudos: 101





	1. Chapter 1

“I’m going to kill the Archbishop and end the church’s reign of terror upon Fodlan and usher a new age of liberation, where people’s destinies are not tied by their birthright but are decided by their skill and ambition. I value your friendships and I want you to join me in my quest. Are you guys in?”

Edelgard offered her hand out to Dimitri and Claude, who looked at her with concern.

“What madness is this Edelgard? You wish to kill the archbishop? This is heresy!” Dimitri struck his hand onto the table, breaking its legs in one stride. Edelgard’s face remained calm. She was expecting this reaction from him.

“I have nothing against the faith of the Goddess Sothis, but Rhea has used her power to suffocate the people of Fodlan. The nobility and the crest system flourish under her influence and if we want a just society, we must eliminate the church. Dimitri, you have seen first-hand the misery that crests bring, did you not? Don’t you remember Miklan, Sylvain’s older brother?”

Dimitri staggered back a bit. “Yes, of course.”

“How did Miklan raise such an army against him? With great leadership skills. If he was a knight instead of a thief, I’m sure that he would have served the Kingdom well. But instead of rising to that position, Miklan was cast away from his family and forced into poverty. His bitterness pushed him away from Sylvain and the life he could have had, all because of the crest system.”

“I am not looking to destroy your kingdom, Dimitri. I want our countries – the Liester Alliance and the Holy Kingdom – to flourish. But we are all trodden down by the might of the church. I know it’s a lot to process, so I won’t ask for your answer now. But please think of it, both of you.”

Dimitri dropped into a nearby chair and buried his face into his hands, while Claude’s face remained skeptical.

“Listen, Edelgard. I’m no believer of the church and these people you call “those who slither in the dark” definitely make me think that something is threatening to destroy Fodlan, but is destroying the church really the answer? Don’t you think it’s a bit… radical?”

“I don’t want to do this either. A war will mean casualties, many of them being civilians. But for the sake of our people, not just mine, but yours and Dimitri’s as well, it is the swiftest way to liberation.”

“Can we look into this first? Together. I’m not denying what your forefathers have told you, but I think it’s important to look at all sides of situation. At the very least, it’ll give us more information on Rhea and how we can take her down. I’m not saying no -- honestly, I had ambitions like yours – but I don’t think it’s wise to strike head on. Sometimes craftiness,” Claude pulled another one of his smiles, “can be the difference between a thousand casualties and a hundred thousand.”

Edelgard perked up a bit. Claude wasn’t saying no then.

“If it means working together, then yes, we can research into it. I agree with you; while I don’t think that the church will hold much more than propaganda for the Immaculate One, maybe we could find other sources of information that will help us. From Almyra, maybe?” Edelgard looked straight at Claude and watched Claude’s face drop. Hmm. So her suspicions were correct.

“I’ll ask Hilda about it, since her territory is by Fodlan’s Throat.”

“Excellent.” Edelgard turned to Dimitri, who was frozen in his chair. “Dimitri, are you alright? You don’t have to answer me right now, but sooner is always better than later.”

“Rhea… the Immaculate One… the Holy Kingdom of Faegheus has always been allies to the Church. How can I convince my people to turn their backs on the church and wage war against them?”

“I understand how important the Goddess is to your people,” Edelgard put a hand on Dimitri’s shoulder, “I cannot stress enough how much I value your people’s faith. But the Adrestrian Empire also values the Duscur faith, the Sreng faith, the Brigid faith, the Almyran faith. We are one country, yes, but our continent holds people from all over, who do not wish to be governed by a religion that they don’t believe in, let alone a corrupt dictatorship.”

“I want to trust you El. You are my sister. I just need time.” Edelgard had expected as much. Dimitri waging war against the church could cause a split in his country between believers of the church and supporters of Dimitri and the Kingdom. The Church’s roots dug into Fargheus soil while they barely touched the Alliance and Empire. But… Byleth told her to trust others. And she trusted her friends.

“Take all the time you need.”

Edelgard turned back to Claude. “Let me know how the research in Fodlan’s Throat goes. We’ll touch base in a few days time.” Edelgard doubted that anything that her family told her would come up, but Claude was right. The Empire wouldn’t know all of the Church’s secrets, and the more information they had, the better.

“You got it Princess. And this stays between us, yes?”

“Of course.”

*

“Are you sure that this is wise, Edelgard?” Hubert always seemed to appear out of nowhere.

“If we want our ambitions to be realized, then we need more than just the Empire. We are mighty, yes, but I fear that opposition from the Kingdom and Alliance would create a monstrous war. The liberation I seek means the least number of casualties and that includes people from the Alliance and Kingdom.”

“By your lead, my Emperor.”

Edelgard turned to walk away from Hubert, but she could still feel his eyes burning into her.


	2. Chapter 2

Claude didn’t really buy Edelgard’s plan to topple the church; her views made sense, given that she was raised on them, but he didn’t see a dead king’s stories as gospel. The way that Edelgard dropped the Almyran line to him also told him that she knew about his lineage. Whether that is a good thing, or a bad thing was uncertain to him, but staying on Edelgard’s good side was safer than going against her. They were friends as well; he didn’t want to go to war against her any more than she did.

That’s why research would be important. Claude meant it when he told her that researching into the church and its central figures would prove useful to them. It would give Claude a clearer picture of his options and prove Edelgard insight that she needed if she were to become a true ally of the Alliance and Almyra. And if Edelgard could help with his own ambition of opening Fodlan’s borders, then he had no reason to fight against her.

Claude skimmed through several volumes, looking for any mention of the Immaculate One or of manketes, but came out with nothing. The Fodlan goddess alluded him too; for a church, they didn’t have any sacred texts on their goddess. She was a mystery here as any other part of Fodlan. Seteth and Rhea probably removed any controversial tomes, lest some student was to happen upon them. This only told Claude one thing: the church was hiding more than he initially thought.

Tomas, or rather, Solon, was probably part of Those Who Slither in the Dark. Edelgard’s account of them was chilling, and his sudden disappearance – one that wasn’t made public to any of the student body other than the three major houses – left a sour taste in Claude’s mouth. He was supposedly travelling for a year prior to his return to the monastery, which would explain how Solon got into the church. Tomas was probably assassinated and replaced with Solon.

Given Seteth’s reaction to Tomas’ true identity, Claude figured that the church wasn’t allied with Those Who Slither in the Dark. It was possible that Solon was allied with the Flame Emperor as well, who remained an enigma.

“Emperor…” Claude said the word out loud, savouring each syllable. He had a hunch of who that was, and given her ambitions, but he wasn’t going to say anything until the time came. He wanted to trust Edelgard and he hoped that time will draw the truth out of her as well.

Claude put back the remaining books he had out and turned to bump directly into Seteth.

“It’s late Claude; you should be heading to bed soon.” Seteth’s glare and crossed arms were probably his attempt to seem intimidating, but Claude wasn’t easily frightened.

“Nothing like reading ahead right? Early bird gets the worm?” Claude put on one of his shit-eating smiles but Seteth remained unimpressed.

“It’s late. Go to bed.”

Well, it was worth a shot. “Okay, I’m going.” Claude walked past Seteth and exited the library, closing the door behind him.

Seteth was an interesting figure. He was green haired like Rhea, Flayn and professor Byleth, which meant that there was some kind of divinity in him. He was Rhea’s right-hand man, which meant he had access to information that would be near impossible for Claude to find. Gaining Seteth’s trust, and more importantly, his secrets, would be incredibly beneficial to Claude and Edelgard, but his loyalty to Rhea was fierce and making him defect from the church would be incredibly difficult.

He was the one who suggested secrecy, but he really wanted to talk to Hilda about this. He didn’t want to implicate anyone, especially his friends, in this new alliance he was forming with Edelgard. Who else could he go to?

Claude wandered around the monastery, lost in his thoughts, until he found himself in front of Dimitri’s door. This is where he wanted to go all along, then. Claude knocked on Dimitri’s door.

“Who is it?” It was almost dawn, yet Dimitri was still awake. Claude shouldn’t have been surprised though; he was probably up all night thinking about what to do. They weren’t so different after all, then.

“It’s Claude.”

The door opened and Claude was met with Dimitri’s sleep deprived self. So he wasn’t used to all-nighters then. How funny.

“What do you want?” Dimitri asked.

“I just wanted to talk about Edelgard.” Dimitri briefly checked to see whether no one was there, before letting Claude in.

Dimitri’s room was like his, except there were broken weapons stacked in the corners of the room. Probably casualties of his training. Dimitri closed the door behind them and then gestured to the single chair in the room and Claude took it, while Dimitri sat on his bed.

“How are you feeling?” Claude asked.

“Conflicted.” Dimitri said.

“I’m not here to preach for Edelgard or to convince you to fight against her; you need to consider your people as well as your own morals. Regardless of who you side with, Faergheus will splinter between believers and non-believers. I would bet that there are more people – a lot more people – within the Alliance and the Kingdom that feel the same way that Edelgard is. There’s no denying that the crest system has caused anguish for the commoners and noble people alike.”

“I know!” Dimitri slammed his fists into his thighs. “I know. What is Edelgard thinking? Starting a war… doesn’t she know how many lives will be lost?”

“She thinks the ends justify the means. If a war means removing the crest system and dismantling the nobility, then she’ll do it. It’s true that many nobles have been cast aside because of the crest system and commoners starve under the rule of greedy nobles.” Claude examined his hands. His dark skin seemed even more prominent in Garrag Mach. “And Fodlan’s borders have been closed for a millennium. I don’t think that any ruler, Emperor, King or Leader, decided that.”

“Isn’t there another way? I understand how you feel–“

“How Edelgard feels,” Claude corrected.

“How Edelgard feels. I too want reform, but I’m sure that there’s another way. One that avoids bloodshed.”

“I’m not looking to start a war either, Dimitri.” Claude tipped the front of his chair, carefully balancing himself on its hind legs, “But I think all three of us want change and Edelgard’s mind won’t be changed if we fight against her. She hasn’t declared war on the church yet. There may be time to change her mind or at least get more information. If Edelgard was dead set on this war, then she wouldn’t have told us about her plans and attacked the church with her own army. But since she confided in us…”

“She may be feeling uneasy without our support,” Dimitri finished. He looked at Claude, his eyes wide.

“Exactly. We’re all friends here; if there’s anyone that can help her, it’s us. It’s still your choice, of course, but in my opinion, it’s safer to side with her for now.”

Claude and Dimitri sat in silence for a bit while Dimitri mulled over Claude’s words.

Sunlight began to stream into Dimitri’s room; it was dawn.

“I should get going. Let’s chat later, Dimitri.” Claude ducked out of Dimitri’s room and into the light.


	3. Chapter 3

Claude was probably right. It felt wrong, so incredibly wrong, to even think about fighting the church, but he couldn’t fight his little sister either. If he stayed with her, maybe he could reason with her and convince her that war was not the answer. And Sothis, he really believed that war was not the answer.

Dimitri walked swiftly out of his dorm room and walked towards the Black Eagle’s dormitory. He wanted to tell her right then and there that he would join her, proclaim it on the rooftops that he loved her and of course he would do anything to protect her, but he had to find her first.

He arrived at Edelgard’s room to find not Edelgard, but Hubert.

“Hello Dimitri.” Hubert’s disposition was never cheery, but today he felt downright menacing. “Are you looking for anyone?”

“Edelgard,” Dimitri said. He looked Hubert right in the eye. “I’m looking for Edelgard.”

“She’s not here right now, but I can carry a message if you’d like.” Hubert would always try to insert himself into whatever Dimitri and Edelgard happened to be doing. Dimitri wouldn’t be surprised if Hubert intercepted Dimitri’s letters to her while they were apart.

“I’d like to speak to her alone.”

“But she isn’t here right now, young Prince.” Hubert’s eyes were piercing into Dimitri’s, but Dimitri kept his eyes locked on him. He was not backing down.

“I do see that. Very well, I will go elsewhere. Have a good day, Hubert.” Dimitri turned to leave, but Hubert caught his shoulder.

“I understand that you’re going to give Lady Edelgard your answer,” Hubert’s breath was hot in Dimitri’s ear; it sent shivers down his spine, “I hope you do not disappoint us. I do not agree with Lady Edelgard’s decision to confide in our plans, but assassinating you and Claude would break her spirit, so I will leave you for now. But remember, I am always watching.”

“Remember that I am the heir to the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, Hubert. I am not simply Edelgard’s brother.” Dimitri plucked Hubert’s hand off of him and walked away, but he could still feel Hubert’s gaze burning into him.

Dimitri searched all over for Edelgard, but he couldn’t find her. Professor Byleth was also missing, so he couldn’t ask her where she went and when he asked the other Black Eagles, they weren’t even aware that she was gone. He had no choice but to wait until Edelgard returned from wherever she went.

*

Dimitri had given up hope on finding Edelgard when he heard a gentle knock on his door.

“It’s me.” Edelgard. Finally.

Dimitri swung open the door to find Edelgard, not in her school uniform, but in Imperial regalia. He stared at his sister, who was now the Imperial Emperor of Adrestria. A wave of fear, admiration and pride washed over Dimitri; he felt like he was going to puke.

“Congratulations on your coronation.”

Edelgard blushed and looked away, “I apologize for my appearance; I just came back from my crowning. So, have you made up your mind?”

“Yes, but I have some conditions,” Dimitri said.

Edelgard let out a small sigh of relief and then straightened herself up. “Yes?”

“We postpone going to war for now. I know that you are probably aching for your justice, but I implore you, if we can dismantle the church without a war, then we must go for that option. I know you want the least number of casualties; what better number is zero, then?”

Edelgard’s lips thinned, but she nodded. “I accept your condition. I assume that you and Claude will work on intel then?”

“Yes, I would be happy to do so. I want to let you know Edelgard, that I am not accepting your proposal because you are my sister, but because I believe that this is the best path for myself and my kingdom. When we are discussing this, remember that we are talking as Emperor and King, not brother and sister.”

“Of course. But please do not let this ruin our relationship. I chose to confide in you and Claude, despite other’s warnings, because you two are dear to me. I am the Emperor of Adrestria as much as you are the King of Faerghus but behind closed doors, I want you to see me as El.”

Dimitri rushed and picked Edelgard up into a hug.

“Dimitri… I can’t breathe…”

Oh no. Dimitri dropped Edelgard, who dropped to the floor, clutching her chest.

“I’m sorry.” Dimitri reached his hand out and picked Edelgard from the ground.

“It’s okay.” Edelgard leaned on Aymr, clearly winded. Dimitri frowned slightly, looking at her somewhat crumpled form and picked her up princess-style and began to jog to her room.

“Dimitri, set me down this instant!”

“This is me making up for nearly crushing you,” Dimitri replied. Edelgard began to kick and squirm in protest, but Dimitri’s freakish strength was able to keep Edelgard and Aymr in his grasp. Thankfully, Dimitri’s jogging was equivalent to someone else’s sprint, so he made it to Edelgard’s room in no time. He set her down, where she quickly walked into her room and shut the door.

“We’ll talk more in the upcoming days.” Edelgard said, through the door. He didn’t understand why she had to scamper back into her room until she came back out in her Garagg Mach uniform.

"Yes. I will see you soon, Edelgard.” Dimitri was about to turn away from her when she pulled him back.

“Wait. I got you something.” Edelgard went back to her room before coming out with a crimson knife; it was the same size as the knife he had given to her as a child, but in blue and gold with Dimitri’s name engraved into it.

“I haven’t used mine yet, but I wasn’t able to thank you for it back then. So… thanks.” Dimitri took the knife before sheathing it into his belt.

“No, thank you for this Edelgard. Hopefully I will never have to use it, but I will keep it with me nonetheless.”

Edelgard blushed again – she was so cute when she was embarrassed – and turned away from him and closed the door. Dimitri breathed a small sigh of relief. Things would be okay.


	4. Chapter 4

Edelgard had to postpone the attack on the Holy Mausoleum. Maybe she confided in Claude and Dimitri too late; she should have known that they wouldn’t want a war. Edelgard chewed on her thoughts. That wretch was taking Byleth into the Holy Tomb and doing Sothis knows what to her in a fortnight and Edelgard wouldn’t be able to stop her from hurting the Professor. What was she supposed to do?

She would have to talk to Dimitri and Claude about this. She couldn’t act without their counsel. Maybe that was a good thing; maybe she was acting too brash. She had the Adrestrian army poised for attack, of course, but maybe she could delay confronting the church for a little while. Edelgard only wanted Rhea dead and the institution removed from power; if the remainder of the church wished to operate independently and without political power, they could do so.

At this time of day, Claude and Dimitri would still be in class. Edelgard had skipped -- with Byleth’s consent, of course -- to plan her next move. She was surprised that Claude and Dimitri were willing to work with her. She had a backup plan if they didn’t and was preparing to move ahead with the attack. But having them on her side eased her mind and gave her the support of both the Alliance and the Kingdom. And, if she was being honest with herself, she didn’t know whether she had the heart to fight against them.

Most of the monastery would be getting dinner after class, so Edelgard went to the dining hall and grabbed her plate early. She intentionally sat towards the end of the table, so there was only room for two people. She also draped her cape over the two seats, as if to ward off other people who may want to dine with her. Edelgard’s stomach growled as she looked at her plate, but she steadied herself. It would be rude to eat before Claude and Dimitri arrived, so she would wait. Well… a bite wouldn’t hurt.

Edelgard tentatively took a forkful of food into her mouth and found that she was starving. Before long, she had finished her plate. Oh no. How rude of her. She rushed back to the serving table and grabbed more food to make it look like she hadn’t eaten yet and sat back down, but saw that Claude and Dimitri were already sitting down with their respective houses. Edelgard frowned. They had business to talk about! Well, not that they knew it. But still. They had business to talk about and they had no time to talk to their classmates. Edelgard abandoned both her seat and marched up to Claude’s table.

Edelgard cleared her throat loudly behind Claude, who jumped out of his seat.

“MANUELA I CAN EXPLAIN–” Claude snapped his head behind him and saw Edelgard. “Oh, it’s you Princess. Jeez, don’t scare me like that.”

Well, it may be too late to talk over dinner, so Edelgard compromised. “Can we talk later? About…” Edelgard’s mind blanked as she tried to come up with a cover for her plans, “Byleth’s surprise party?” She felt the stares of Claude’s friends burn into her, but she stayed resilient.

“I didn’t even know Professor Byleth’s birthday was coming up,” Ignatz said, “I think planning something together would be nice. Can we come, Edelgard?”

Shit.

“We’ll fill you in on the details later. Dimitri, Edelgard and I are going to be doing most of the planning, so you guys don’t have to stress out.” Claude winked at Edelgard and she breathed a sigh of relief. Having Claude on her side was a blessing.

“So, are we good?” Edelgard asked.

“I’ll see you in the library later,” Claude said. Edelgard nodded and walked towards the Blue Lions table.

“Hey Dimitri, can you meet Claude and I at the library after dinner? We need to plan Byleth’s surprise birthday party.”

Dimitri furrowed his brow in confusion. “Byleth’s birthday is coming up?”

Edelgard narrowed her eyes, trying to transmit the subtext into Dimitri’s brain. Eventually, it clicked, and Dimitri bolted up, blushing. “Yes, right, Byleth’s birthday party. I’ll see you and Claude there then.” Dedue stared at them in suspicion but continued to sip his drink.

Edelgard nodded and departed from the dining hall, ignoring the unsettling aura that she probably created. Mission accomplished.

Edelgard climbed up the stairwell to the library as fast as her little legs could take her; her heart was going frantic from exhilaration. She had cooked up an insane scheme that would probably throw all her current plans out of the window, but if it worked, then she could save Byleth from whatever Rhea was planning on doing to her. The thought of Rhea looking at Byleth so tenderly and seeing her stroke Byleth’s now green hair was disgusting. Edelgard preferred her Professor as a human.

Edelgard reached the library and shut the door behind her -- she didn’t want any unwanted visitors – and sank into a chair, exhausted from the run. She wasn’t sure how Claude and Dimitri would think about her idea -- Claude would probably be skeptical and Dimitri would be in a fit of emotion – and there was always the possibility of betrayal, but she knew that Claude and Dimitri liked Byleth enough to stop Rhea from doing, whatever, to her.

“Heeyyy Princess,” Claude decided to announce his arrival as loudly as possible. Edelgard glared at him before scurrying off to shut the door.

“We’re in a library,” she hissed, “Keep quiet.” Sothis, was he going to ruin their plans by being too loud?!

Claude threw one of his signature smiles at her and plopped himself on a chair, spreading his legs out in what Edelgard assumed to assert dominance. He was her friend, she reminded herself. She trusted him.

“We’re planning Byleth’s birthday party, no?” He kept his smile on, but the rest of his face was deadly serious. “Did you have any ideas, Princess?” Oh thank Sothis. He got it.

“I’m thinking of planning her party on the 27th day of the Pegasus Moon.” Speaking in code was probably safer, given that there could be eyes anywhere. Claude was a step ahead of her, as usual.

“A surprise party, maybe?”

“Yes! That’s exactly what I was thinking. A surprise party.”

Claude got up from his chair, whipped a scroll and began writing something down. Edelgard moved closer to him and peered over.

_Byleth escape plan. _

“Oh, I thought it would be good for us to write it down, in case Dimitri forgets. He’s very forgetful, that one.”

Edelgard nodded in approval. Dimitri, bless his heart, probably had no idea what they were talking about when he came in and there would be no way for them to publicly discuss what was happening otherwise.

“Anyway, yes, I think we need all of our houses involved. Byleth is our favourite professor, after all. We have a big party to plan and I think everyone would want to be invited. I’ll convene with the Black Eagles to figure out how to distract her on the big day, since she mainly teaches our class. Since you are the crafty one,” Claude flashed another smile at her, “You and the Golden Deer set up the party. I know the Professor hasn’t tried horseback riding; why not talk to Marianne about getting the horses in order? We can all go together!”

“That sounds great! Let me write that down,” Claude scrawled on his paper – _Marianne to prepare horses_ – and looked at Edelgard, “And where will the party take place Princess?”

“Well, given that we need the horses, by the stables maybe?” That would let them escape swiftly and hopefully without detection. Claude nodded and continued writing. “Let’s ask Dimitri if we can get Dedue to prepare food for the party. We’re gonna need a lot of it if we’re feeding over 30 people.”

“One more thing Princess. When are we telling our lovely classmates about the party? And what should we do if people have different plans?”

Edelgard pressed her lips together. She was sure that the Black Eagles would come to her aid, but she knew that the Blue Lions would be less eager to join. The Kingdom’s ties to the church were deep; their families could be affected. And the Golden Deer were another matter all together; Claude had difficulty keeping them together as it is. But if it was for Byleth…

“We’ll have to do without them then. I don’t think we should tell everyone everything; it could ruin the surprise.”

“Alright and done. I see that our Prince isn’t here yet, so we’ll pass this off to him.” Claude rolled up the scroll and slipped it into his pocket and started to rise from his chair when Edelgard thrusted her hand out to him.

“Thanks. For everything.” Claude stared at her hand in amazement before taking it firmly.

“Anything for you, Princess. By the way,” Claude’s eyes went cold again, “we haven't had a formal discussion yet, about the terms of last week’s meeting. I will help you, yes, but only for the good of the Alliance. We’re friends, yes, but our countries come first. If you pull any funny business that would break this trust, then you will have a powerful enemy on your hands. Got it?”

Edelgard’s heart dropped. Did he know about the Flame Emperor? She mentally steeled herself. She knew his secret too; they would have this discussion when the time came. Trust was the foundation of any relationship; she needed him to trust her as much as she trusted him.

“I have nothing to hide. But please, let’s wait until after the surprise party. We need to focus on that first.” They both made to leave when Dimitri burst in.

“Claude! El! Sorry I was late, I got caught up in a squabble between Ingrid, Sylvain and Felix—” Dimitri’s face dropped, “Oh. You’re leaving?”

Claude laughed, “Always late to the party, huh? Don’t worry, we took notes of what we talked about today.” Claude took the scroll from his pocket and pressed it into Dimitri’s open hand, “Just remember to burn it when you’re done. Can’t let the cat out of the bag, can we? Good night Princess!” Claude waved them away and walked out of the room.

“Dimitri, please read that paper and burn it when you’re done. Let me know if you have any questions; we can talk it out.” Edelgard moved past him too and left; she was exhausted. Her mission for today was successful, but they had a lot of work ahead of them.


	5. Chapter 5

That meeting was somehow both productive and counterproductive. On one hand, they planned their next move: kidnap Byleth and flee the monastery before she can reach the Holy Mausoleum. They would probably be telling their friends about their alliance after this; they wouldn’t want defectors ratting them out to Rhea, after all. But this, like everything Edelgard does, was done in haste: they had a fortnight before they could execute their plan and they had no idea how Dimitri would even feel about it. Claude knew why Edelgard wanted to act now: Byleth had already changed into something different and going to the Mausoleum might change her again. Sending their newly goddess-gifted Professor to the resting place of the Goddess herself? It seemed sketchy, for sure. But of course, they didn’t have any information on what Rhea was planning to do and there was no way for them to know, lest they captured Rhea now and interrogated her, so Claude supposed that this was the best course of action to take.

They would have to tell the others what was happening before the surprise party. Claude understood why Edelgard would be hesitant; having a plan between three people was one thing, but thirty people was another matter all together. It would be too easy for something to slip and for all of them to get executed for conspiring against the church. Claude envied Edelgard and Dimitri’s naivety; he hadn’t had the luxury of thinking that everything would go right the first time. They would be better off with a backup plan, or two, or three. If their plan failed, it would cost them their lives and their countries. But of course, he couldn’t do anything without Edelgard and Dimitri knowing; if anything got leaked, then it would break their trust in him, which could lead to the Empire and the Kingdom waging war against him. It wasn’t worth it, so more negotiating it was.

Claude exited his dorm, only to be met by Hilda.

“Hey Claude,” Hilda said with a wink. “So, a surprise party? For the Professor?”

Fuck.

“Yeah, her birthday is coming up. Edelgard, Dimitri and I thought it would be fun to have a full celebration.”

“Interesting… considering how Byleth’s birthday is on the Garland Moon not the Pegasus Moon?”

Claude’s face dropped. He had a gut feeling that something was off about their plan; why didn’t any of them check when Byleth’s birthday was?

“W-well, consider it an early surprise party then. Admittedly, I didn’t double check to make sure we had the date right; I just trusted Edelgard’s word for it. She is the head of the class that Byleth teaches, after all. But we’re already planned a lot and it would be such a waste to cancel everything, so we’ll hold it instead. I hope I see you there,” Claude said, with a wink. Holy shit. She was definitely not buying that.

“Hmm. Okay. So, what’s really going on Claude? You can tell me. Aren’t I supposed to be your right-hand woman?” She did not buy it.

Now, Claude had a choice. Either he could refuse to tell Hilda about it, which would make her suspicious of him, which she might tell Holst about, which would lead to whispers and suddenly Claude could be dealing with a mutiny in the Alliance. He could also tell Hilda what’s going on, but that would break his promise to Edelgard and Dimitri that they would be keeping everything a secret and breaking their trust could mean a full-on war.

Goddess, why was his life so hard?

Suddenly, he had an idea.

“I’m not sure what’s going on entirely, because Edelgard is planning most of it.” This wasn’t a lie; Edelgard was the one who suggested the birthday party to begin with. It was her anxiety over Byleth’s well being that sparked this entire thing. “I think it would be better if we talked to Edelgard about it.”

Claude was the leader of cop-outs and thank Sothis, this one worked. Hilda’s eyes widened, blushing slightly as she processed what he said. “No, actually, it’s okay. Sometimes surprises are fun! Even if they happen way out of date. But that makes it a super surprise, right?”

Claude hadn’t forgotten Hilda and Edelgard’s short lived relationship. It would be incredibly useful to have Hilda in the know; her and Holst’s territory was at Fodlan’s Throat, where they could obtain some outside information on the church. And having his right-hand woman would be a comfort as he navigated his way through this mess. But… Claude was trying to avoid a war here, not start a new one.

“Once I get more information from Edelgard, then we can talk.” He was planning on talking to Edelgard about involving the rest of their houses, after all. “And I promise you won’t have to talk to her the entire time.”

“Sounds like a plan!”

Right. He needed to talk to Edelgard about this now. He had evaded Hilda’s suspicion, for now, but this conversation proved that they needed the rest of their houses on their side before whisking Byleth away. Even if one of their own ratted them out – highly improbable, considering the students’ loyalty to their perspective lords – then they could plan a counter measure, just the three of them, to snuff out any rats.

Claude’s walk over to the Black Eagle dormitories was uneventful and he soon arrived to Edelgard’s door, which was partially open. Edelgard didn’t seem the type to leave her door unlocked, let alone open. Was there a theft? Perhaps despite his better judgement, Claude peeked into Edelgard’s room without knocking. It was empty, but there didn’t seem to be a sign of a struggle. Edelgard’s room was immaculately clean, as always, but her desk was a mess. Claude stepped inside cautiously; what could Edelgard be working on? Battle tactics? Schemes? Negotiation letters? Claude moved closer to her desk but found piles of crumpled paper and rough sketches of… Byleth?

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”

Shit. Claude jumped back to see Edelgard screaming from the top of her lungs.

“Hey Princess, I was just looking for you!” Claude smiled at her, but it didn’t help Edelgard’s temperament.

“I- what- no wait- what are you doing in my room?!”

“Looking for you. We need to talk about the surprise party.”

Edelgard looked like she was about to pass out. “Claude, I request you leave at once! My room is a mess and needs to be tended to at once! We can talk about that after I clean up.”

“Whatever you say, Princess. I’ll be out here.” Claude held up his hands, backing away slowly as Edelgard slammed the door on him. Claude chuckled to himself as Edelgard angrily disposed of the papers on her desk. She might be the Emperor of Adrestia now, but she was still really cute. Finally, Edelgard welcome Claude in, albeit a bit winded from her emergency cleaning.

“Hilda asked me about the surprise party.” Claude said.

“And?”

“She pointed out that Byleth’s birthday is on the Garland Moon, not the Pegasus Moon. We’re four months early, Princess.”

Edelgard froze. “It can be an early birthday party, then.”

“A birthday party that early? The church is already on red alert with the Flame Emperor running around and with Solon infiltrating the monastery, anything out of place will get investigated. Including out-of-place birthday parties.”

“So we’ll have to rebrand it then. Maybe we could use someone else’s birthday that’s coming up instead.”

“The problem with that, Princess, is that other students are already talking about it. I had Hilda ask me about it in person and she was the one who pointed out the flaw in our plan.”

Edelgard’s jaw dropped slightly. “You didn’t tell her about it?”

Interesting. Did Edelgard not trust him? “I believe we said we were keeping this to ourselves.”

Edelgard’s face flushed in shame. “You’re right, we did. It’s not that I don’t trust you -- I wouldn’t have brought you in on my plans otherwise – it’s just—”

“It’s hard to expect a lord to not tell his retainer?” Claude finished. “Did you tell Hubert about our surprise party?”

“No. He knows that you and Dimitri are working with us in our … larger plans… but not of this particular piece. I promised secrecy too and it would be hypocritical of me to coordinate with Hubert while asking for your own silence.”

So Edelgard did have integrity after all. That was good to know. “I appreciate you putting your trust in me, Edelgard, so I’m asking you for your trust in my request to tell our classmates about our plan. I know what you’re thinking—” Claude put up a hand to stop Edelgard from interrupting him, “and I understand that you don’t want our plan leaking out. One false move and we could all be executed by the church for treason. But, all of our classmates are essentially loyal to us, no? Let’s use our royal privilege to our advantage and get the help of our classmates. I know you trust your Black Eagles and my Golden Deer can be a bit rowdy, but they get the job done. And Dimitri? Most of his house are literally his knights. Literally. I’m pretty sure they would get persecuted if they turned against him. You said you confided in us because you trust us, right? Well, part of trusting us is trusting the people that Dimitri and I trust. What do you say, El?” Claude reached his hand out to Edelgard as she stared at him, speechless. He had… been a bit more vulnerable than he’d like, but he meant everything he said. Edelgard’s eyes shifted from his face to his hand and back to him before tentatively reaching out and grasping it.

“Okay. I’m in.”

Claude grinned and pulled Edelgard into a hug.

“Hey!! Unhand me at once!!”

“Sorry.” Claude released her and plopped himself into a nearby chair.

“So, as much as I do trust our classmates, we should always be prepared if something were to go wrong. Regardless of how tight lipped our operation is, there will always be rats. Here’s my suggestion…”

Claude and Edelgard chatted into the night, drawing out the specifics of their new plan. By the time they were done, it was nearly midnight and it was way past curfew.

“This… is surprisingly well done, Claude. Thank you.”

“I am the Master Tactician after all. Nothing goes by me.”

Edelgard raised an eyebrow. “Did you come of that nickname yourself?”

“Of course!” Claude flashed one of his signature smiles. “If you need anything, Princess, I’m a courtyard away. Please forward our plans to Dimitri, as well.”

“I will.”

Edelgard and Claude shook hands one more time before Claude slipped out into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha sweats.... hi this isn't dead don't kill me.


	6. Chapter 6

_Dimitri urged his horse to go faster as he and Edelgard fled the monastery._

_“The Professor! Dimitri, you have to turn back!” Edelgard screamed. Dimitri swerved through trees, debris and dead bodies, trying to navigate through the thick smoke. The Immaculate One’s roars echoed through the forest. Dimitri didn’t know where the Professor was. Where Claude was. Ingrid, Felix, Sylvain and the rest of the Blue Lions were unaccounted for. There was no way to save them but he had Edelgard with him, right here, right now, and he would never abandon his family again. Not when there was a chance._

_“Forget about her!” he yelled. _

_“Dimitri! We have to save her! What about the plan!” _

_“Forget the plan! We’re going back to Fhridiad. We can regroup with the others there.” Dimitri pulled his horse back, backing away from the masked figure in front of him. It was the Flame Emperor. Dimitri jumped off his horse and drew his lance._

_“Dimitri!” Edelgard screamed._

_“Quiet.” Dimitri’s eyes narrowed as he pointed his lance at the masked figure. “I have unfinished business for him.”_

_The Flame Emperor didn’t draw his axe, but rather, slowly began to remove his mask. Long, white hair fell out of his helmet as Edelgard revealed herself. Dimitri dropped his lance and staggered back. He looked at Edelgard, who was still mounted on his horse, back to the false Edelgard, who was grinning at him maniacally. _

_“Hello little brother. Fancy meeting you here,” the Flame Emperor took out Aymr and struck Dimitri. He crumpled to the ground, the pain searing his flesh. _

_“DIMITRI!!! DIMITRI!!!!” Edelgard jumped off the horse and ran to him. She cradled his large form as he crumpled under her._

_“DIMITRI!!!!”_

Dimitri bolted up, sweat dripping from his body as he shivered. The pale morning light filtered down from his window and he looked around, taking in his surroundings. It was a dream. It was only a dream. His mind was playing tricks on him again. It always was.

_“Kill her… Avenge us…”_ Dimitri closed his eyes, trying to shut out the voices ringing in his ears. Edelgard was the only family he had left. There was no way she could be the Flame Emperor. It was impossible. Edelgard trusted him and he trusted her. That was the end of it.

Dimitri got dressed quickly. He promised he would train with Sylvain today and he was already late. He quickly walked out of his room, only to bump directly into Edelgard.

“El! I’m sorry!” Dimitri crouched down to help Edelgard up, but she quickly sprung herself up and dusted herself off.

“It’s fine. I’m okay. Are you okay? You look pale.” Edelgard reached up to touch Dimitri’s cheek lightly, but he instinctively swatted her hand away. Edelgard froze for a second before slowly withdrawing her hand. “I’m sorry, Dimitri.”

“No, it’s okay.” Dimitri looked away in shame.

“Voices, again?”

“Yeah.”

_“Kill her… avenge us… save us!!!”_

Edelgard had always known about them. Dimitri had gone to live in Enbarr immediately after the Tragedy of Duscur and she often awoke to his screaming. The only difference was now, for some reason, they were egging him to kill her.

“I need to talk to you—” they stopped, as they realized that they had spoken over the other. “No, you can go first.” Synchronized, again. They both blushed.

“You can go,” Edelgard offered.

“We need to talk about Byleth’s birthday party. Alone.”

“That’s why I came, actually. Let’s go inside.” Dimitri led Edelgard into his room and he shut the door behind them, quickly, before anyone could notice that they were even outside.

“Edelgard, this is madness. Kidnapping Byleth and fleeing the monastery? Rhea will be after our heads! The Kingdom hails the Church and Rhea as their saviours. Going against them, here and now, when we’re not ready is asking for bloodshed. I know I said yes to this, to opposing the church, but I haven’t even had time to address my classmates, let alone my people. And if you’re right about Rhea being the Immaculate One…” Dimitri shuddered, “Then we don’t have a chance against her. I know you care about Byleth and I understand your concern about the Holy Mausoleum but isn’t there another way? A safer way?”

“I understand your reservations, but we don’t have time. Byleth is currently wielding the Sword of the Creator and we’re all certain that she’s divine now and if Rhea does something to turn her against us, then we’ll be under the church’s tyranny forever. We also can’t address your people until we leave the monastery; Rhea will have our heads in an instant. You can coordinate with Dedue and the rest of the Blue Lions; Claude and I have agreed to let our respective houses in on our plans. But we need to leave, Dimitri. I’m afraid that there’s no way around it.”

_“What are you doing? She’s right there… kill her now!!_”

Dimitri clutched his head and fell back onto his bed. Edelgard swooped over to offer him comfort, but he waved her away. Damn it, why was this happening? Dimitri sucked in air through his teeth. He believed Edelgard was telling the truth. He trusted Edelgard and he had no reason to go against her. Why was this happening?

“Edel—El… give me… a second…”

“Of course. Please, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you.”

There never was. He just had to sit and wait until the voices subsided and he could think clearly again.

Eventually, his vision cleared and he forced himself to stand. For some reason, he was acutely aware of how small Edelgard was in comparison to him; even though she was technically older, he sometimes thought of her as a little sister, too.

“Okay, Edelgard.”

Edelgard blinked in confusion. “Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Aren’t you going to fight me? Ask for clarification? Emphasize how much your kingdom worships Rhea?”

“I… I trust you, El. Maybe it’s wrong to blindly put my faith into someone, but I trust you. I’ll talk to the Blue Lions and we’ll coordinate this escape together.” The voices were jeering at his response, but Dimitri ignored them. It was okay. They were going to be okay.

“I don’t know what to say! Thank you, Dimitri, thank you. I know it feels like Claude and I are deciding a lot of things without you, but I promise you, I do nothing without your approval. It’s just unfortunate that we’ve been speaking to each other individually instead of a group, but in the future, I’ll make sure that we plan things together, because we are a team. I have to go now – I promised Petra I’d spar with her – but I’ll be back as soon as possible. And…” Edelgard looked away and blushed. “I haven’t had a lot of time with you since we’ve arrived here. Maybe we should get some tea and catch up.”

For the first time in a while, Dimitri smiled. “That sounds wonderful.”

To Dimitri’s surprise, Edelgard reached up and hugged him briefly, before turning away and walking out.

It was going to be okay. They were going to be okay.


End file.
